英语中级听力课程Lesson18

1、文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.欢迎下载支持Goodevening,and'MichaelParkhurstprogramme,we'reLesson18Host(MichaelParkhurst):welcomeagaintotheTalkabout'.Intonight'slookingattheproblemofenergy.Theworld'senergyresourcesarelimited.Nobodyknowsexactlyhowmuchfuelisleft,butpessimisticforecastssaythatthe

2、reisonlyenoughcoalfor450years,enoughnaturalgasfor50yearsandthatoilmightrunoutin30years.Obviouslywehavetodosomething,andwehavetodoitsoon!I'dliketowelcomeourfirstguest,ProfessorMarvinBurnhamoftheNewEnglandInstituteofTechnology.ProfessorBurnham.Prof.Burnham:Well,weareinanenergycrisisandwewillhaveto

3、dosomethingquickly.Fossilfuels(coal,oilandgas)arerapidlyrunningout.Thetragedyisthatfossilfuelsarefartoovaluabletowasteontheproductionofelectricity.Justthinkofallthethingsyoucanmakefromoil!Ifwedon'tstartconservingthesethingsnow,itwillbetoolate.Andnuclearpoweristheonlyrealalternative.Wearegettings

4、omeelectricityfromnuclearpowerstationsalready.Ifweinvestinfurtherresearchnow,we'llbereadytofacethefuture.There'sbeenalotofprotestlatelyagainstnuclearpower-somepeoplewillprotestatanythingbutnuclearpowerstationsarenotasdangerousassomepeoplesay.It'sfarmoredangeroustoworkdownacoalmineoronaNo

5、rthSeaoil-rig.Safetyregulationsinpowerstationsareverystrict.Ifwespentmoneyonresearchnow,wecoulddevelopstationswhichcreatetheirownfuelandburntheirownwaste.Inmanypartsoftheworldwheretherearenofossilfuels,nuclearpoweristheonlyalternative.Ifyouacceptthatweneedelectricity,thenwewillneednuclearenergy.Just

6、imaginewhattheworldwouldbelikeifwedidn'thaveelectricitynoheating,nolighting,notransport,noradioorTV.Justthinkaboutthewaysyouuseelectricityeveryday.Surelywedon'twanttogobacktotheStoneAge.That'swhatwillhappenifweturnourbacksonnuclearresearch.Host:Thankyou,Professor.OurnextguestisamemberofC

7、ANE,theCampaignAgainstNuclearEnergy,JenniferHughes.JenniferHughes:Right.ImustdisagreetotallywithProfessorBurnham.Let'slookatthefacts.First,thereisnoperfectmachine.Imean,whydoaeroplanescrash?Machinesfail.Peoplemakemistakes.Whatwouldhappeniftherewereaseriousnuclearaccident?Andanaccidentmustbeinevi

8、tablesoonerorlater.Hugeareaswouldbeevacuated.Andtheycouldremaincontaminatedwithradioactivityforyears.Ifithappenedinyourarea,youwouldn'tgetapennyincompensation.Noinsurancecompanycoversnuclearrisks.Thereareaccidents.Ifthenuclearindustrydidn'tkeepthemquiet,therewouldbeapublicoutcry.Radioactivit

9、ycausescancerandmayaffectfuturegenerations.Next,nuclearwaste.Thereisnotechnologyforabsolutelysafedisposal.Someofthiswastewillremainactiveforthousandsofyears.Isthatwhatyouwanttoleavetoyourchildren?Andtheirchildren'schildren?Areactoronlylastsabout25years.Bytheyear2000we'llhave'retired'

10、26reactorsintheUK.Next,terrorism.Terroristscouldholdthenationtoransomiftheycapturedareactor.IntheUSAtheSavannahRiverplant,andProfessorBurnhamknowsthisverywell,lost(yes,'lost')enoughplutoniumbetween1955and1978tomake18(18!)atombombs.Whereisit?Who'sgotit?Iconsiderthatnuclearenergyisexpensiv

11、e,dangerous,andevil,andmostofall,absolutelyunnecessary.ButDr.Woodstockwillbesayingmoreaboutthat.Host:ThankyouJennifer.NowI'mverypleasedtowelcomeDr.CatherineWoodstock.Sheistheauthorofseveralbooksonalternativetechnology.CatherineWoodstock:Hello.I'dliketobeginbyagreeingwithJennifer.Wecandevelop

12、alternativesourcesofpower,andunlesswetrywe'llneversucceed.Insteadofburningfossilfuelsweshouldbeconcentratingonmoreeconomicusesofelectricity,becauseelectricitycanbeproducedfromanysourceofenergy.Ifwedidn'twastesomuchenergy,ourresourceswouldlastlonger.Youcansavemoreenergybyconservationthanyouca

13、nproduceforthesamemoney.Unlesswedoresearchonsolarenergy,windpower,wavepower,tidalpower,hydroelectricschemesetc,ourfossilfuelswillrunout,andwe'llallfreezeorstarvetodeath.Othercountriesarespendingmuchmorethanusonresearch,anddon'tforgetthatenergyfromthesun,thewavesandthewindlastsforever.Wereall

14、ywon'tsurviveunlesswestartworkingoncleaner,safersourcesofenergy.Host:Thankyouverymuch,Dr.Woodstock.Ourfinalspeaker,beforeweopenthediscussiontothestudioaudience,isCharlesWicks,MP,theMinisterforEnergy.CharlesWicks:I'vebeenlisteningtotheotherspeakerswithgreatinterest.Bytheway,Idon'tagreewit

15、hsomeoftheestimatesofworldenergy3文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.欢迎下载支持reserves.Moreoilandgasisbeingdiscoveredallthetime.Ifwelistenedtothepessimists(andtherearealotofthemabout)noneofuswouldsleepatnight.Intheshortterm,wemustcontinuetorelyonthefossilfuelsoil,coalandgas.Butwemustalsoloo

16、ktothefuture.Ourpolicymustbeflexible.Unlesswethoughtnewresearchwasnecessary,wewouldn'tbespendingmoneyonit.Afterall,theGovernmentwouldn'thaveaDepartmentofEnergyunlesstheythoughtitwasimportant.Thebigquestioniswheretospendthemoneyonconservationofpresentresourcesoronresearchintonewformsofpower.B

17、utI'mfairlyoptimistic.Iwouldn'tbeinthisjobunlessIwereanoptimist!MalCarrington:Goodmorning.Welcometo"TheyearstoCome".I'mMalCarrington,andeveryweekatthistimeChannel5bringsyouinformationonlifeinthefuturefromanexpertinthefield.Today'sexpertisDrReginaldHealyfromMIT,thefamousMass

18、achusettsInstituteofTechnology.Goodmorning,DrHealy.WelcometoTheyearstocome.DrHealy:Thankyou.MalCarrington:Well,whatareyourpredictionsabouttheworld?Whatisitgoingtobelikeintheyear2000?DrHealy:Hum,ifpresenttrendscontinue,I'mafraidtheworldin2000willbemorecrowdedandmorepollutedthantheworldweliveinnow

19、.MalCarrington:Yes,however,foodproductionisconstantlyincreasing.Don'tyouthinkwewillbeabletocopewiththeincreaseinworldpopulation?DrHealy:Idon'tthinkso.Eventhoughproductionisconstantlyincreasing,thepeopleoftheworldwillbepoorerthantheyaretoday.Forhundredsofmillionsofthedesperatelypoor,thesupply

20、offoodandothernecessitiesoflifewillnotbeanybetter.Andformanytheywillbeworse,unlessthenationsoftheworlddosomethingtochangethecurrenttrends.MalCarrington:WhatisyourestimateofworldpopulationinAD2000.DrHealy:Well,already,worldpopulationisabout5,000million.Ifpresenttrendscontinue,thatiswiththenumberofbir

21、thsbyfarexceedingthenumberofdeathsin2000theworldpopulationcouldapproach6,500millionpeople.MalCarrington:Howmanypeopleareborneveryday?DrHealy:About250everyminute,butonly100peopledie.Thismeansthereisanincreaseof216,000peopleperday,andninetypercentofthisincreaseisinthepoorestcountries.MalCarrington:Tha

22、t'sworrying!Andwhataboutenergy?Willtherebeenoughoiltosatisfyourneedsintheyear2000?DrHealy:Duringthe1990s,worldoilproductionwillreachthemaximumandthepriceofoilwillbegintoincrease.Attheendofthecentury,theavailablesupplieswillnotbesufficientforourneeds.Soatleastpartoftheseneedswillhavetobemetbyalte

23、rnativesourcesofenergy.MalCarrington:Yes,waterisbecomingaproblemtoo.DrHealy:Yes,unfortunately.Watershortagewillbecomemoresevereinthefuture,andduetotheincreaseofbirthstherewillbeenoughwateronlyforhalfofthepopulation.MalCarrington:Whichofthepresenttrendsdoyouthinkwillcontinueoverthenextdecade?DrHealy:

24、Well,significantlossoftheworld'sforestswillcontinueoverthenexttenyearsasthedemandforwoodforfuelandmanufacturersincreases.Alsoatmosphericconcentrationofcarbondioxideandotherchemicalsisexpectedtoincreaseatratesthatcouldaltertheworld'sclimateduetothe'greenhouseeffect'.MalCarrington:The&

25、#39;greenhouseeffect'?Couldyouexplainwhatthe'greenhouseeffect'is?DrHealy:Sure.Well,theamountofcarbondioxideintheairisprogressivelyincreasingandittrapsmoreoftheheatofthesunintheloweratmosphere.Thishasawarmingeffectwhichcouldchangetheclimateandevenmeltthepolaricecaps,whichwouldcausedisastr

26、ousflooding.MalCarrington:Isee.Isthistheonlyeffectofcarbondioxide?DrHealy:No,itisn't.Carbondioxideandotherchemicalswhichderivefromtheuseoffossilfuelswillalsoincreasethequantityofacidrainwhichisalreadydamagingorevendestroyingplants,treesandotherpartsofourenvironment.Also,therewillbeadramaticincre

27、aseinthenumberofspeciesbecomingextinct.Hundredsofthousandsofspecieswillbelostbecauseofthelossoftheirhabitat.MalCarrington:That'sappalling!Whataboutnuclearplants?Aren'ttheyaconstantmenacetolifeonourplanet?DrHealy:Definitely.Andapartfromthemoreobviousdangerofaccidents,liketheoneatChemobyl,ther

28、e'stheproblemofthedisposalofnuclearwaste,thatisthewastewhichisproducedbynuclearpowerstations.MalCarrington:Oh,yes.Iknowthatsomeofthematerialskeeptheirradioactivityforhundredsorthousandsofyears.DrHealy:Yeah,forexample,strontium90needsstoringfor500years,beingkeptcoolallthetime.Plutonium-239mayneed

29、storingforuptohalfamillionyears!MalCarrington:So,whatisgoingtohappentotheEarthinthenextfewyears?Willwebeabletoreversethistrendtowardsdestruction?Whatisyourprediction?DrHealy:Well,Idon'twanttobepessimistic,butI'mafraidthatifthistrenddoesn'tchangewithinfiveortenyearswewon'tbeabletodove

30、rymuchtosavetheearth.9文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.欢迎下载支持MalCarrington:Well,that'sawarningthatweallneedtotakeseriously.Andwiththatwarning,weendpartoneofthisweek'sTheyearstocome.We'llbebacksoonafterthebreak.MalCarrington:Hereweareagainwith"TheyearstoCome".NowI

31、'dliketotellyouaboutandtoshowyouthepicturesofanexcitingnewprojectwhichistheresultofthecooperationofscientists,engineersandtechniciansfromvirtuallyallovertheworld.Towardstheendofthe90s,abrightnewcelestialbodywillappearinthenightskylikeanimmenseshiningstar,fullyvisiblefrom38degreesnorthorsouthofth

32、eequator.Itwillbeaspacestation,Freedom.TheideaforFreedomoriginatedintheUSA,butelevenothernationshaveagreedtocontributeafewofthestation'smanyparts.ThespacestationisnotgoingtobelaunchedintoorbitinonepiecethethousandsofpartswhichmakeupFreedomaregoingtobeassembleddirectlyinspace.Twentytripsbytheshut

33、tleandtworocketswillbeneededtodeliverFreedom,piecebypiece,intoaloworbitaroundtheEarth.Then,250milesabovetheEarth,constructioncrewsaregoingtobolttogetherthespacestation'smanycomponents.Thefirstbatchofpartsisgoingtobelaunchedin1995.Bytheendof1996,thefirstcrewofeightisgoingtoenterthelivingmoduletob

34、eginwhatNASAhopeswillbeacontinuoushumanpresenceinspace.Thestationhasbeendesignedtoremainoccupiedandoperationalforuptothirtyyearsawholegenerationoflivinginspace.Consideringthatthefirstman-madeobjectreachedorbitjustthirtyyearsago,thatwillbequiteanaccomplishment.Thedesignofaspacestationmustcombinetheex

35、citementofspacewiththenecessityforsafetyandcomfort.FreedomwillbethebestsolutiontodateandwillalsobethemostcomplexcomputerizedhouseeverbuilteitheronEarthorinspace.Therewillbeaccommodationforeightpeopleandeachcrewmemberwillhavehisorherownroom,ashower,atoilet,exerciseequipment,awashingmachine,apantry,an

36、dasickbay.Addatelevision,video,phoneandcomputertoeachoftheeightprivatesleepingrooms,thentopitoffwiththebestviewonEarth.Isthissomewildnew'luxuryhouse'ofthefuture?Exactly.Lifeonboardwillalsobebrightenedbyaplantofilltwentypercentofthelarderwithfreshrefrigeratedfruit,vegetableanddairyproducts.Be

37、hindeveryspacestationliesthedreamthatisatleast120yearsold:acolonyinspace.Freedomisnotgoingtobethatcolony,foritwillalwaysdependontheEarthforsupplies.Butitisgoingtobetheplacewherescientistsdiscoverhowtoestablishhealthyandproductivehumanhabitationinspace.Whennewtechnologyisdevelopedtomakeitlessrisky,we

38、willseemoreciviliansinspace.Soaneighteen-year-oldcanlookforwardtovisitingspacebyhisorhersixty-eighthbirthday,in2050.Andthat'stheendofthisweek'sprogramme.TuneinnextweekforanothereditionofTheyearstocome.TheyearstocomeisaChannel5productionandthisisMalCarrington.1. Twoyearsago,.whenIlandedonyour

39、soil,IsaidtothepeopleofthePhilippines.'WhenceIcameIshallreturn.'Tonight,Irepeatthosewords.Ishallreturn.(DouglasMacArthur17/03/44)2. IhaveadreamthatonedayontheredhillsofGeorgia,sonsofformerslavesandthesonsofformerslaveownerswillbeabletositdowntogetheratthetableofbrotherhood.Ihaveadreamthatone

40、day,eventhestateofMississippi,astateswelteringwiththeheatofinjustice,swelteringwiththeheatofoppression,willbetransformedintoanoasisoffreedomandjustice.Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanationwheretheywillnotbejudgedbythecolouroftheirskin,butbythecontentoftheircharacter.(Rev.MartinL

41、utherKing,Jr.28/08/63)11文档来源为:从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑文档来源为：从网络收集整理.word版本可编辑.欢迎下载支持3. Onethoughthimindestructible,soover-poweringwasheinhisenergy,warmthandhisdeepfaithinman'sinherentgoodness.For25yearshehadbeenmyfriend,myolderbrother,myinspirationandmyteacher.(HenryKissinger02/02/79)4. Ihavesaidthisbe

42、fore,butIshallsayitagain,andagain,andagain.Yourboysarenotgoingtobesentintoanyforeignwars.(FranklinD.Roosevelt30/10/40)5. Ihaveneverbeenaquitter.Toleaveofficebeforemytermiscompletedisabhorrenttoeveryinstinctinmybody.But,asPresident,ImustputtheinterestsofAmericafirst.Americaneedsafull-timePresidentandafull-timeCongress.Particularlyatthistime,withproblemswefaceathomeandabroad.Tocontinuetofightthroughthemonthsaheadformypersonalvindicationwould